“Police officers have a duty, in all situations, to choose the action that would be the least harmful to the citizen and to themselves.”
A coalition of advocacy groups is denouncing what it describes as the over-policing of pro-Palestinian protesters in Montreal, and calling on the city to launch a public inquiry into the matter.
Speaking outside the Montreal courthouse on Thursday, defence lawyer Barbara Bedont said she’s aware of 55 cases in which people have been charged over the protests.
Bedont says many have been unfairly targeted for supporting the Palestinian cause.
“The numbers speak for themselves,” Bedont said. “And you have to take that statistic in hand with the fact that I am not aware of any cases of arrests for the opposite movement — the ones who have been confronting pro-Palestinian demonstrators.”
Beyond the number of protesters arrested and charged, the coalition is also criticizing the force used by police during the demonstrations, arguing it’s been excessive and misplaced.
During the news conference, the coalition played a collection of videos captured during the last year showing Montreal police officers shoving protesters, using pepper spray and hitting them with batons.
“People have suffered broken bones, concussions, cuts and other traumatic experiences,” said Ted Rutland, an associate professor at Concordia University who focuses on urban security and policing.
“Police officers have a duty, in all situations, to choose the action that would be the least harmful to the citizen and to themselves,” Rutland added, arguing officers have failed to do so in “many, many cases” during the protests.
Asked to respond to the allegations on Thursday, a spokesperson for the Montreal police department noted there have been more than 500 protests in the city since the outbreak of the war.
Overall, the department said, criminal elements have been reported during only a dozen protests and a total of 109 arrests have been made.
“The police service’s role during demonstrations is to ensure that they take place in peace and good order” and respect the law, as well as the Canadian and Quebec charters of rights and freedoms, the department added.
Group calls for Marc Miller to apologize, resign
Mohanned Mansour, Samar Alkhdour and Wendy Ing had been charged with criminal harassment and mischief for allegedly damaging a car Miller was in.
According to Bedont, the charges were withdrawn after the three accused presented video evidence that countered the allegations against them.
“We were falsely accused of doing things we did not do,” Mansour said on Thursday. “I can’t even imagine what would have happened had we not had the video.”
The three are calling on Miller to issue an apology and resign from his position.
“(Miller) was a personal witness to the fact that no crime had occurred,” Bedont said. “He allowed a miscarriage of justice to continue. … That is a breach of his ethical responsibilities.”
In an email response Thursday, Quebec’s Directeur des poursuites criminelles et pénales (DPCP) said its prosecutors are free from “any political or police control or influence.”
In the case related to Miller, spokesperson Lucas Bastien wrote, after new evidence was brought to its attention “the DPCP no longer had a reasonable prospect of conviction and therefore decided to withdraw the charges.”
A spokesperson for Miller’s office declined to comment on the specifics of the case, but noted his office had been the site of daily protests for months.
“Every individual has the full right to protest, to express their opinions and to make their discontent heard,” the spokesperson wrote.
“However, no matter the point of view, nothing can excuse vandalism and the endangerment of others,” they added. “This is absolutely not peaceful protesting.”